Quote:
Originally Posted by NellyGCM
Messier posted his big jump in speed figures two races back. Combined with his nice comeback run last out, and being taken care of by JV after being passed by Taiba, he is set to run well. BB involvement or not, he is consistently one of the best producers of late.
|
Messier appeared to have his hind end "slip" from under him coming out of the gate in Santa Anita Derby and John Velasquez had some sort of issue with his right stirrup as a result. You see him try to send the horse immediately from the gate then drop his right rein to adjust the stirrup, allowing Messier to come off the bit briefly before sending him straight in between Forbidden Kingdom and Taiba going into the first turn.
Perhaps he would have broken the race wide open sooner had he pressed Forbidden Kingdom from the outset rather than getting pounced on by Taiba right after taking the lead. He may also have been a bit short having missed a key prep the month before.
That said, he's wilted twice now when part of strong contested pace.
